Educational Trajectories and Activism: The Impact of DACA

• In Event: 30.055 - Undocumented Latina/o Students Navigating Higher Education

Abstract

The following paper is part of a longitudinal study that was developed through qualitative methodology in a public university. While the original study focused on understanding the patterns of activism of undocumented youth, an emerging topic emerged as a significant line of inquiry: the role of DACA in the lives of the participants in the study.
Following this line of research, this paper presents how young DACA recipients have navigated college before obtaining a DACA permit, and afterward. The findings showcase a) the ways in which having this document impacted the schooling and employment trajectories of undocumented youth, and b) how their participation in a pro-immigration group influenced their perception of DACA and their sense of agency.

Author

• Cristina Patricia Salazar Gallardo, Teachers College, Columbia University